Christchurch History

Christchurch’s name was coined on 27th March 1848 by John Robert Godley who named it after one of the constituent colleges of Oxford University in the first meeting of the Canterbury Province. It was elevated to the status of the oldest established city of New Zealand on 31st July 1856 after the early inhabitants of the Ngai Tahu were driven out by the European settlers.

After these hunting tribes had evacuated the area, ownership of the area now called Christchurch passed the hands of the Weller Brothers in 1840 to the Dean Brothers in 1843. From this time onwards till 1850 the first 720 pilgrims settled in the area and built a model of the city that they hoped to establish. In the coming years, many railways, ferry paths and main roads were built and the city began to bloom into a trading zone with vessels and horsebacks carrying most of the load to and from.

For the years to come, Christchurch had then settled on a strong foundation of trade, cultural values and norms that has led it to become part of a successful nation.